Champs League Draw

[I'm With Stupid]

We won't have anything done that is in any way remotely favourable to us by UEFA for a generation. No change to how the seedings are set. No tweaks to the ridiculous coefficient system that has us one ahead of Spurs and behind all sorts of clubs that we'd just run riot all over.

These are - after all - the coonts that passed a set of bent financial rules solely to hamper us and then applied them far more severely to us than to PSG - who were far, far more egregious violators of same.

So fuck them! We'll just have to win their bent farce of a competition in spite of all their shady garbage.

The good thing is that we're rich enough to deal with their bent rules until the point that they actually benefit us. The reality is that any English/Spanish team that is in the CL for 5 season in a row is almost certain to be in pot 1 after that, unless they have a disaster. FFP already allows us to outspend Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, and it's only a matter of time before we close the gap on the highest revenue clubs. At that point these rules help us to stay on top. And I don't like the idea of staying on top because of bent rules, but if they're going to try and fuck us over with dodgy rules, then I have no problem with us using them to our advantage.

 

[Blue Mist]

Martin Samuels is spot on. The whole thing is set up to protect the establishment. No one in their right mind would want our group over Liverpools yet we are the Champions 2 out of 3 years, they haven't been in it for 5.
Surely no one can defend the co-efficients that reward Arsenal each year despite doing nothing in the league year after year.

Also it is getting boring with the same teams playing each other.

Some will argue they will be great nights against Bayern but what Uefa want is Bayern topping the group us coming second (or third) so that we then get Madrid/Barca in the next round and the whole corrupt system keeps churning out TV money for 'big' games.

If the League and FA cup was done in the same way you would not have had a brilliant result the other night in Milton Keynes or Bradford getting through to the final. It stinks and I'm sick of it.

 

[robertsuki]

The draw is not fixed,it is the formula that precedes if with the ridiculous co-efficient scenario.
Arsenal remaining in pot one after not winning the premiership for years is insane. Can anyone just remind me why it's called the Champions League. All top nations champions should be in pot one without any arguments.
Come on UEFA lets see what you are made of - change the system.

 

[sgerlat]

Zaba has shown before he's more than a match for Gervinho mate. Looking forward to seeing Iturbe play, saw him for Porto a few years back and he looked decent.

Gervinho is a whole different player compared to the one he was in London, his only problem is shot accuracy, but he's a winger so I'd rather have him assisting the others, besides that he's fantastic and if you can't draw the best out of him, considering he's physical structure, you're a shitty manager. He just needs good spacing of the pitch and he'll be deadly, Wenger never really gave him the confidence he needed, Garcia did. Also, of course, PL is tougher. I can tell you for sure he's not the player you remember anymore.

Iturbe with Porto played something like 5 games and he was 18-19 yo, are you sure you've seen him? He has matured a lot since then.
They're still kicking themselves for putting the €15m option to buy in Verona's favour, they didn't think he was that good or that they could exercise it. He's crazy fast and aggressive, I'm definitely excited he joined us, great potential too, he could be a nightmare for any defender.

In midfield should be great battle too, I just wish Strootman can play at least half of the games. Realistically speaking he should miss 4 out of 6.

My only concern is Ashley Cole.

Why are you concerned about Cashley?

Do you think you or Napoli can put up more of a challenge to The Old Lady?

Supplì on the phone, they're awesome.

By the way, we can compete with the Old Lady, we're neck and neck this year, but winning here is not about the team, It has never been, unfortunately so we need the stars to align, the environment surrounding the squad is electric, it can carry you in good times, drown you in bad ones.
I genuinely believe we're a better team with great margin of improvement too, a good mix of experienced and young guys, we just need to glean a bit of winning mentality, that's all.

When we tied the first game after a streak of the 10 consecutive wins to start the season, journalists immediately said As Roma were in crisis, a bit premature don't you think? That's why winning here is so damn hard, then I'm not sure Juve can repeat themselves, seldom a 102 points campaign happens, even if many teams in our league are crap.

 

[hihosilva]

I don't really understand why clubs from the same country have to be kept separate.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

Gervinho is shit

 

[lancs blue]

I don't really understand why clubs from the same country have to be kept separate.

I can see the sense in that, a group of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and City would hardly be a "European Tour" would it?

 

[hihosilva]

I don't really understand why clubs from the same country have to be kept separate.

I can see the sense in that, a group of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and City would hardly be a "European Tour" would it?

Yeah but it's very unlikely that scenario would happen.

 

[MATCITY]

I don't really understand why clubs from the same country have to be kept separate.

I can see the sense in that, a group of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and City would hardly be a "European Tour" would it?

Yeah but it's very unlikely that scenario would happen.

Just as likely as any other combination

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

Clubs from the same country should defo be separate in the group stages